Chapter 52: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
The sunset reflected off the river's surface like a scattering of golden leaves, shimmering with light.
An early autumn breeze brushed through the woods, rustling the leaves and bringing the first hint of chill after the height of summer.
This particular chill carried a murderous edge.
"Hmph. Listen here, little lady. If you know what's good for you, hand over everything valuable!"
On the riverside road, several burly, rugged men clad in animal-skin skirts had surrounded a frail young girl. Their expressions were predatory, like wolves cornering a fawn.
The Leader was a man with a massive scar running across his face. As he looked at the cute girl before him, a wicked grin curled his lips.
"If you're a good girl, we might let you off easy. But if you aren't... Heh heh heh, don't blame us for getting rough."
"I am an adventurer."
The girl surrounded by them gripped her magic wand tightly, her eyes showing not a hint of surrender.
"Have you thought about the consequences of trying to rob me?"
"Haha! Of course I can see you're an adventurer."
Scarface burst into laughter, seemingly completely unimpressed by her status.
"But you're a mage, aren't you? And since I can't feel a single lick of Fighting Spirit from you, that makes you a Pure Mage."
"..."
Seeing the girl fall silent, Scarface’s laughter grew even more arrogant.
"If you had companions—even ones who could only stall us for a moment—we’d be running as far away as possible. But you're all alone. A lone mage, no matter where they are, is a tasty morsel."
Scarface’s gaze swept over the magic wand in the girl's hand, his greed impossible to hide. "That wand alone should fetch a pretty penny."
"...Dammit."
The girl instinctively hid the wand behind her back and took a few steps back, trying her best to put on a fierce expression.
"You're committing robbery in broad daylight! Aren't you afraid of running into a righteous hero who will deliver justice in the name of heaven?"
"A righteous hero? Hahahaha—!"
Scarface exchanged a look with his underlings, and they all doubled over with laughter.
"Is she really this naive? This little lady..."
"W-what? Did I say something wrong?"
"Hmph, you're dead wrong."
Scarface shifted the gleaming broadsword resting on his shoulder and laughed wildly.
"Beauty, haven't you realized it yet? We are professional bandits! Professional! Do you know what 'professional' means?"
"Plan ahead!" Bandit A shouted.
"Define the workflow!" Bandit B added.
"Pinpoint the target!" Bandit C laughed.
"Guarantee success!" Bandit D stood with hands on his hips.
"Exactly! That's what it means to be professional!"
Scarface waved a hand and grinned.
"We scouted this entire area in advance. There's absolutely no way anyone is passing through here. That 'righteous hero' you're talking about? It's impossible for one to show up."
"..."
The girl’s cheek twitched.
It’s just a robbery. Why are they acting like it’s some high-IQ crime?
"But what if? What if there's someone you missed?" the girl asked, still refusing to give up.
"What if? Haha! If you're talking about 'what ifs,' then the only place we didn't scout was the inside of that river."
Scarface made an exaggerated face, winking mockingly.
"Don't tell me you think your hero is going to crawl out of the water? Hahahaha! Don't make me laugh. Is this hero of yours actually a mermaid living at the bottom of the—"
Splash!
Scarface’s words were cut short by a violent spray of water.
Under the shimmering light of the setting sun, a blond man suddenly broke through the surface, his upper body emerging from the river.
He swept his damp, short golden hair back, revealing an exceptionally handsome face. Clear droplets of water slid down his perfectly sculpted pectorals, glistening like crystals.
"A... a mermaid!" Bandit A cried out in shock.
"Mermaid my ass!"
Scarface slapped Bandit A across the back of the head. "Look closer! That's a man!"
"Oh, right."
"I finally... escaped!"
Out on the river, the blond man suddenly looked up and spread his arms wide as if to embrace the sky.
"I'm finally free!"
His voice was so exuberant, like a soul long imprisoned finally seeing the light of day. Even from a distance, Scarface and his crew could feel the blond man's sheer joy.
"What the hell?"
The blond man suddenly turned his gaze toward the group on the shore. That direct, unblinking stare made even Scarface—who prided himself on remaining calm even if a mountain collapsed before him—feel a bit flustered.
The man began to swim over.
As the water grew shallower and more of him was revealed, the people on the shore realized...
He was completely naked!
"B-boss," Bandit B’s voice trembled. "Did we just run into a pervert?"
"Very likely," Scarface said, his expression grim.
If they had run into a pervert today—and such a handsome one at that—his plans might have to change slightly.
He turned to look at the girl.
The girl was covering her bright red face, shaking her head violently.
Good. It seemed this wasn't a "righteous hero" after all.
"Hello."
"Hello."
"And hello to you too."
The blond man walked onto the bank, completely unbothered by his lack of clothing, and enthusiastically shook hands with everyone.
"The weather is great today, isn't it?"
"Have you eaten?"
"Brother, that's a sharp outfit you've got there."
"Do you know where we are?"
"This is..."
Faced with the overly familiar blond man, Bandit C couldn't help but swallow hard. "The wilderness west of Belland."
"West? Looks like I've drifted far enough. An shouldn't be able to catch up now."
"After all, just to be safe, I floated in that river for a day and a night."
The blond man—Muen Campbell—muttered to himself.
After using the Illumination Spell to briefly blind An, Muen had jumped straight into the river, using the current to flee.
Because he wasn't sure how ridiculous An's "Young Master Sensor" actually was, Muen had hidden in the river for a full day and night, using the water to wash away all traces of his scent and presence.
Fortunately, after reaching the Second-Tier, his body was protected by Fighting Spirit, so he didn't lose too much body heat in the early autumn chill. Simply drifting with the current didn't require much physical strength either.
Once he was certain An couldn't catch him, Muen looked for a spot with a gentle current to come ashore.
Which happened to be right here.
He just hadn't expected to run into people immediately.
And from the looks of it, were they... committing a robbery?
After a brief moment of reflection, Muen realized the people he had been enthusiastically shaking hands with were a pack of bandits.
What kind of shitty luck is this?
—Time to bail.
He had no weapons, and he was outnumbered. Playing the hero would be a very unwise choice.
"Haha, thanks for the info, everyone. I'll be going now."
Muen gave a friendly smile of thanks, turned around, and prepared to make a practiced getaway.
"Hold it."
He had only taken two steps when Scarface’s voice rang out behind him.
"Hmm? Is something the matter, Big Brother?"
Muen turned back, squeezing out a smile.
"Hmph. Kid, you've already realized what we do for a living, haven't you? You think you can just walk away?" Scarface sneered.
Not good.
Muen’s cheek twitched as he gave a sheepish laugh. "Don't worry, I'll act like I didn't see a thing."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then you mean..."
"I mean, we're bandits. And when bandits run into someone..."
Scarface stared intently at Muen, enunciating every word slowly: "Naturally, we have to rob them."
"Rob me?"
Muen’s expression turned strange.
He looked down at his naked self, then back at Scarface. "Are you serious?"
"Heh heh. Who said I was after your money?"
Scarface stuck out his tongue and licked the edge of his broadsword, his eyes burning with heat as he stared at Muen.
"I'm here for your virtue!"